Preseason Bracketology Leaves Miami on the Outside looking In
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The Miami Hurricanes have expectations to win more than the seven games offered to them last season, but some still believe that the Canes are out on the outside looking in for the postseason.
ESPN released its first preseason Bracketology update, and the Hurricanes are sitting in the "Next Four Out". If the 64-team bubble expanded to the 72 that is being talked about, then the Canes would be in, but for now, they have a lot of work to do ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Read More: Miami Basketball Underestimated in First KenPom Rankings
This also alines with how the first KenPom rankings were released. Entering the 2025-26 season, the Canes rank as the No. 76 team in the first KenPom Rankings of the year. They have plenty of chances to make something out of nothing this season with the number of ranked opponents the team has this season.
There are plenty of Quad one victories that could be had in the early going of the season.
ACC Preseason Bracketology:
Duke: 1 seed
Louisville: 3 seed
North Carolina: 6 seed
NC State: 8 seed
Virginia: Last Four In
Clemson: First Four Out
SMU: First Four Out
Miami: Next Four Out
Head coach Jai Lucas is looking to make sure that things continue to be a smooth ship ahead as he is being picky about those he wants in the program. The Canes held a secret scrimmage against the South Florida Bulls, and from the still images shown, there is a lot to look forward to this season.
The full list for the ACC Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll is as follows (with first-place votes in parentheses):
1. Duke (34), 866
2. Louisville (15), 842
3. North Carolina, 741
4. NC State, 710
5. Virginia, 623
6. SMU, 616
7. Clemson, 510
8. Miami, 500
9. Syracuse, 489
10. Notre Dame, 477
11. Wake Forest, 412
12. Virginia Tech, 355
13. Georgia Tech, 315
14. Pitt, 301
15. Florida State, 221
16. California, 156
17. Stanford, 138
18. Boston College, 107
Read More: Miami Basketball Underestimated in First KenPom Rankings
Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for the Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at Twitter @Justice_News5.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.